Honor of an Emperor
by panickedfish
Summary: Ed offers Ling a challenge: he must infiltrate Amestris' central command to retrieve something hidden in a secure vault. In exchange, Ling sends Ed on a journey of his own. Everything appears to start off fine, but when Ling gets an unaware Lan Fan to do his dirty work, Greed decides he wants in on the action and makes an appearance. Meanwhile, Ed encounters challenges of his own.
1. Chapter 1

"Ling Yao, are you even listening to me?"

"Huh? Oh um, sure".

"You were not! What did I just say?"

"Something about... oh okay I wasn't listening. Sorry. It's just that I'm so _hungry_."

"You're impossible." Lan Fan sat back in her seat, crossing her arms and glaring at the young prince. They were seated at a secluded table within the great library of Xing, where Ling was trying to learn everything he could about the history of Xing. He needed to be prepared to succeed the present Emperor and rule the nation, when that time came.

When Ling had begged for her help studying, Lan Fan had agreed. Immediately, though, she regretted her quick decision when she realized that the prince had an attention span outmatched only by his voracious hunger.

"We just ate only two hours ago."

Ling looked at her reproachfully. "Yeah, well, let's not forget that I still have a homunculus inside me. I've got my own mouth to feed as well as that of a _demon_."

"Shh," Lan Fan insisted. Her hands wormed their way up into her sleeves, where two concealed knives stayed hidden within the fabric of her usual black attire. The prince's lack of discretion made her nervous—even in this quiet place, they could be among enemies. "Not so loud."

"Oh lighten up. Tell you what, if we take a break now, lunch is on me."

Lan Fan rolled her eyes. So now it seemed that the young lord wanted to take a break from his procrastination. She sighed, swiping her long black bands away from her eyes. "Fine," she agreed.

Ling grinned and stood up. "To the palace kitchens, then."

Lan Fan stood as well. Papers flew off of the desk and settled on the floor. Books were still piled high over the entire surface of the table, representing everything that Ling still had to go through. There was no way they would be ready in time; the present Emperor's health was declining every day. And now Ling wanted to filch food from the palace. Sometimes, he was just too much of a handful—though she still felt a flush of pride that he felt she could keep up with him.

Lan Fan followed him out of the library.

* * *

"Oh look it's the prince again. And his bodyguard."

"Did you enjoy the sushi from last week?"

"Back so soon? You know, you two aren't nearly as stealthy as you look."

The voice of the head cook stopped Ling and Lan Fan in their tracks. Ling, unable to resist temptation until they exited through the same window from which they had crawled in, already had half a loaf of bread sticking out of his mouth. Lan Fan carefully balanced a handful of pears over a bowl of noodles. The two froze with wide eyes when they heard the cook and his staff's accusations.

"_un_" Ling grunted, his voice distorted by the bread. He chewed a little and then managed to say "run".

Lan Fan didn't need to be told twice. She snapped a lid onto the noodle container and tucked it under her arm. Then she shoved the pears into her hood and dove through the nearby window from which they had entered. She heard Ling's clattering steps behind her as the duo climbed out of the small enclosed courtyard garden and made for the roof. Her face flaming, Lan Fan could hear the snickers of the kitchen staff behind them. Why had she let Ling talk her into this—again?

Of course it was all in good fun. The staff clearly wasn't mad at them. If anything, the cooks found Ling's antics amusing. What bothered Lan Fan was that, even with all her skills, she couldn't avoid detection even on a simple kitchen raid.

"Well that was fun," Ling said, climbing up onto the roof. He joined Lan Fan and sat beside her with his back against the wall of the kitchen chimney. Despite the steam and smoke rising over their heads, the bricks were cool and she shade they offered was even more welcoming.

Ling took off his tan jacket and laid it on the ground in front of them, as a picnic blanket of sorts. The two deposited their food onto it and then set about divvying up the spoils. Lan Fan smiled in spite of herself and forgot her duties as his bodyguard for a moment. Them spending time together now was not within the constraints of a master and his servant—they were simply two friends enjoying a meal together.

As they laughed, Lan Fan realized that the young lord had a point. This was much better than studying.

* * *

After their lunch, Lan Fan and Ling lounged on the roof for a while. They didn't talk about much, but each would remember it as the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon. Lan Fan realized with a jolt that she and Ling might not get many more moments like this—especially if Ling became Emperor. She would have to be extra careful then, to make sure he was all right. How would that change their relationship? Thoughts like these made her feel queasy and so she just tried not to think about it. Eventually, Ling stood up and stretched. He shook crumbs from his jacket and put it back on, covering his bare chest. Lan Fan looked away, blushing.

"Come on then, it's back to studying!" Ling said with forced cheeriness. He grasped Lan Fan's arm and pulled her to her feet. As soon as she was standing, a disembodied shout came from the kitchen, echoing through the chimney.

"Mister Yao, there's someone here to see you."

"Yo! Ling! How did I know you'd be right near the kitchen?" the newcomer was Edward Elric, and his voice was getting closer. Soon his golden hair was visible over the edge of the roof. He climbed up, auto-mail arm glinting in the late afternoon sunlight.

"Hi Lan Fan. How are you?"

"Good, thanks. How's Winry?" She hadn't seen the Elric boy in a while, and he was looking to be in his usual good spirits. It was nice to see everything relatively normal again.

"She's great, as usual." A faint blush crept into his cheeks. "Listen, I was hoping we could talk about something?"

"Sure."

The two looked at Lan Fan, who threw up her hands. "All right, I can take a hint. I'm not welcome to join in this conversation. Ling, I'll see you later." She felt a little stung by her dismissal, but knew better than to dwell on it.

Ling nodded to Lan Fan and she departed with her usual style... sprinting and jumping over the exterior buildings of the palace until she left the site all together.


	2. Chapter 2

"So what brings you to Xing, may I ask?" Ling leaned back in his seat and looked down at Ed with a calculated expression in his eyes. The young lord was sitting on a raised throne in the Yao clan's official room within the palace. Though the extra steps leading up to the throne weren't necessary—he would have been taller than the alchemist regardless.

"Well, I wanted to learn Alkahestry, Ed replied. He was slouching against a wall, his hands in his pockets as though defying the fact that Ling was practically royalty. The young lord wasn't impressed.

Ed continued, "Alphonse and May are already here, studying just outside the city limits. I was on my way to join them when I figured that I ought to say hi to you as well. You and Lan Fan are still up to no good, I can tell." Ed's voice was teasing.

Ling snorted. "Whatever." He still couldn't figure out why the fullmetal kid was here in the first place. Was he trying to get under his skin? "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I have a suggestion for you. It's a game, of sorts." Ed stood up tall. He seemed serious, but there was a gleam in his eye.

"I'm listening," Ling said. He felt himself getting excited. Somewhere in his unconsciousness, Greed was already on board for whatever it was the Edward had in mind.

Edward took a step back and extended his hand. Pointing at Ling, he shouted in a taunting voice, "I see that you're not an emperor yet! And I doubt that you ever will be one. I hereby challenge you to a contest! I get to give you one assignment. You need to retrieve something for me. And in return, I'll do the same for you. This is a test to see which one of us is ultimately stronger!"

"You'll get me anything I want?" Ling repeated. He considered the challenge for a moment. Something told him that Ed had been practicing his speech, even though it all came out so jumbled in the end. And the boy's idea was a good one, if only Ling could think of what he wanted...

"If you can complete the side of the challenge I'm going to give you, I'll get you anything you want," Ed promised.

"What is it that you want me to do?"

Ed took a breath. "There is an artifact. Something very valuable, and it's hidden deep within Central command in Amestris. I need you to retrieve it for me."

"Is that all that you're going to tell me?"

Ed smirked. "Why, is that not enough? Do you need more information? If not, I could always get it myself."

_Obviously, since you're small enough you could just crawl through the ducts in the walls_. Greed was clearly of the same opinion but Ling refrained from speaking aloud.

"Alright I accept," Ling said, getting to his feet. There was something distinctly Greed-like expression as he grinned at Ed. "I've responded well to your taunts. You knew that I'd go for the challenge to assert my honour as a future emperor of this nation. And so, I'm willing to accept your challenge. And I will emerge victorious."

Ling stepped down from his throne to Ed's level and the two shook hands on their agreement.

"You're sure about this?"

Ling smiled. "Emperor's honour."

There was a pause in their discussion to reflect the solemnity of the moment.

"So what is it that you want me to get for you in exchange?" Edward asked, trying to make his voice sound casual.

Ling winked at him. "I have an idea. Let me tell you, though—it will be quite the challenge."

Ling explained what he wanted Ed to do and then summoned Lan Fan. Not even five minutes passed since his summons when his guard rushed into the Yao clan's room and bowed.

"My lord. What did Edward Elric want?"

"I have an assignment for you. Please, get dressed and pack some things. Then meet me back here. You're going on a journey."

Lan Fan bowed. She was too curious about what Ling wanted to tell her to be irritated by the short notice. She left the throne room wondering with bemusement if she would ever grow tired of acquiescing to the future emperor's whims.


	3. Chapter 3

Lan Fan returned to her room in the palace and dressed the same as she would for any other mission. She pulled on a pair of baggy pants and a black hooded shirt with a high collar. Then she layered an armored vest on top of that to protect her chest. She tied her hair back with a ribbon to keep it out of her face. Some stubborn strands fell into her eyes and she blinked them out of the way as she laced up her boots. She got to her feet ensured that her wrist-blades were concealed. After checking the straps on her various concealed weapons and applying a small amount of black to her eyelids to give her an expression of fierceness, Lan Fan took a deep breath and stepped up to the mirror in a corner of her room.

The first thing she saw was her eyes. There was a measure of reckless bravery amplified by the makeup which brought a slight smile to her lips. Her baggy clothes concealed her shape while also allowing her the freedom of movement she might need if close combat was involved on this mission. She squared her shoulders and stood up straight. The Emperor's warrior was strong indeed. One final once-over and Lan Fan turned away from the mirror. Despite being proud of her outfit, she covered her face with her mask anyways before leaving her room.

She reached the hall of the emperor before Ling. It figured. Lan Fan sat down on the steps leading up to the throne and leaned back on her arms, trying not to look as bored as she was. Of course the young lord would be running late; he probably wanted to grab a snack before briefing her on the mission. She wondered what it was that he wanted her to do.

"Hello there," Ling's sunny voice rang out.

Lan Fan looked up and smiled, knowing he could not see her face behind the mask. She was pleasantly surprised to see Ling walking towards her without any food, which meant that he was already fed and probably wouldn't be distracted by his stomach. Lan Fan smiled as she recalled their kitchen raids. Those were fun, but now there was something serious happening. She wanted to know what that was.

"I'm ready, my lord," Lan Fan said, her voice muffled slightly by the mask. She bowed deeply and performed a motion with her hands to indicate her respect for the young man.

"You're not planning on wearing that, are you?" Ling asked, sounding confused.

Lan Fan tugged at her sleeve self-consciously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're going to Central City, in Amestris. Don't you think that your usual outfit makes you look way too conspicuous? People will know that you're a foreigner and you'll probably be deported immediately, like I almost was!" Ling sounded slightly offended at the memory.

Lan Fan's heart sank. "Amestris? You didn't tell me that I was going there!"

Ling lowered his head for a moment. Then he looked back up and there was mischief in his eyes. "Don't worry... you won't be travelling alone. I can accompany you."

Lan Fan resisted the urge to roll her eyes under her mask, even though her heart rate accelerated at the thought of traveling with the prince. Maybe this wouldn't be such a tedious mission after all.

"I have a caravan ready to cross the desert immediately. We should reach the Eastern City within the daylight of tomorrow, if we leave right now. I'll tell you what it is I want while we're on the way."

Lan Fan nodded that she understood. "I'm ready," she told him.


	4. Chapter 4

"So what is it exactly that you want me to do?" Lan Fan asked. She and Ling had been travelling for the better part of the night and it was approaching four o'clock in the morning. Their camels were weary and so were the riders. After trying on and off to doze the time away, Lan Fan gave up and was letting her inquisitive nature get the better of her.

Ling yawned. "I was hoping that you could do me a favour. You see, the Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric gave me the intelligence that there is something extremely valuable hidden in a vault deep within Central. I don't know what it is, but I assure you that it is a matter of national importance. He also instructed me to obtain it without being noticed. That is going to be the real challenge..." Ling's voice trailed off and he seemed lost in thought.

Lan Fan was intrigued but also confused. It wasn't like the young lord to be so vague. But then she doubted that Ed gave him all the details, which was probably why he didn't tell her much more than that. She turned her attention back to the reins of her camel as it trotted alongside Ling's. Beside her, the young lord had fallen asleep. He was snoring softly. Lan Fan smiled in spite of herself. They still had a long way to go, but he was already so tired. She, on the other hand, was excited to return to Amestris. And though this was supposed to be an undercover mission she hoped to see some familiar faces along the way.

* * *

Crossing the desert was one thing. Lan Fan had almost forgotten how tedious a journey it was to make the distance by camel, even though this time they had taken a much more direct route which did not pass through the ruins of Xerxes. The train ride from Eastern to Central was another matter entirely. When they boarded the train, the first thing Ling did was find a spot near the back of the train and shut the blinds over the window to block out the midmorning sun.

Already exhausted, Ling flung himself down into the window seat and Lan Fan sat beside him. Now that they were in a more populated area, there was an increased threat to her prince. Though she had taken off her mask and they were in an almost-empty train cart, she was constantly mulling over in her mind the possibility of being captured. Her back rigid, her eyes searching like a hawk's, Lan Fan did not allow herself the time to rest. Ling slept soundly beside her, his mouth slight open and his head leaning against the cool window, his steady breaths fogging up a small circle on the glass. His bangs obscured his eyes and as Lan Fan watched him she felt a flush creep onto her cheeks. She knew that the emotions she was feeling as she watched him there were inappropriate as a master to her servant, but she couldn't seem to clear her mind. She turned her head and stared off into the middle distance in the train cart, feeling the rumbling as the wheels clacked over the rails. A small beam of sunlight broke its way through the blinds over the window and illuminated a small cloud of dust motes which danced in the empty aisle between the two rows of seats. Lan Fan relaxed and felt her eyelids grow heavy. There were no threats in this space. She was beside Ling, and if the emperor wasn't too worried to sleep then she shouldn't be, either.

* * *

When Lan Fan next opened her eyes, she was not staring at the dust motes. She also was not sitting up straight in her seat like a guard. She was leaning over on the right, and felt Ling's warm chest under her ear. Confused, she started to get up but then felt resistance in the form of Ling's left arm draped over her shoulder. She felt her body radiate heat in response to his closeness and blushed furiously. She tried to sit up from where she had fallen asleep in a compromising position but Ling wouldn't let her.

"Shh," he said.

Lan Fan tilted her head to look up at him. The prince was smiling. He leaned his head against hers and was soon fast asleep. Not wanting to wake him again, Lan Fan ignored her quickly beating heart and shut her eyes. A smile stretched out on her face. She liked this. A lot. And judging from his tight embrace, it seemed that Ling did too. Lan Fan allowed herself to fall asleep with the gentle rising and falling of the future emperor's chest as her pillow.


	5. Chapter 5

The train rumbled to a stop and Lan Fan's eyes sprang open as she woke up. She quickly ducked out from under Ling's arm and leaned back in her seat. Ling also started waking up a moment later. He seemed groggy and smiled shyly at his guard.

"Hey there."

"Hi," Lan Fan mumbled. She stared down at her hands in her lap. Ling stretched and his stomach rumbled, breaking the awkwardness of the moment.

"Well, it seems like we've finally reached the central station," he said, looking out the window. "Let's go get some food and then we'll see about sneaking into command. How does that sound?"

Lan Fan got to her feet. "After you," she said, stepping into the aisle of the train so that Ling could exit the train before her. It seemed that Ling was back to his old self and wasn't going to mention their closeness as they slept. Oh well, it was probably for the best. Now she could concentrate on following the young lord's orders and try to put her emotions out of her head. She went to put on her mask just before stepping off of the train but Ling's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Please don't put that on. We need to be discreet."

Lan Fan nodded and tucked her mask into the waistband of her pants. Her long cloak covered it from the back.

"better?" she asked.

Ling looked her up and down, a slight smile on his face. "Much better. Besides, now I get to see your face."

"Uhh..." Lan Fan blushed.

"Let's go!" Ling called. He started off without her and Lan Fan scrambled to keep up, her thoughts whirling. The prince didn't seem much like himself today. Hopefully once he got some food into him he would act more normally.

"Come on, I know about this great cafe Ed told me about. We should check it out."

Lan Fan caught up to Ling and fell into step with him. They exited the train station and strolled through the streets of downtown central. Lan Fan took a couple of moments to appreciate the feeling of being a tourist and enjoyed the company of Ling by her side. And when they sat down at the cafe, just the two of them, it was almost as though they were like any of the other couples walking around, enjoying each other's company.

* * *

Edward Elric was not happy. He trudged along a jungle path somewhere out in the wilds of Xing's far eastern border. _What was Ling thinking, sending me all the way here?_ His legs were cramping up from all the walking and his automail wasn't responding well to the extreme humidity. It was too bad he didn't have an anti-corrosive cream or anything that Winry had recommended. And it looked like there wasn't going to be much of a chance to try and find a store that might sell it—he hadn't seen any sign of civilization in a couple of days.

Ed sighed and looked into his backpack. He was also running out of food. Whatever it was that Ling wanted, it had better be worth this ridiculous journey. Ed smiled to himself though, when he realized that Ling would probably have a hard time keeping up his end of the bargain. He wondered what the future emperor was up to.


	6. Chapter 6

After they finished eating their lunch at the cafe, Ling leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He had changed out of his yellow jacket and was wearing his black coat. Lan Fan hadn't noticed it before, but there was something inherently dangerous in his demeanor today. He looked like a man ready for business. Lan Fan felt a tingle run up her spine. She was itching for this to begin.

"Well I've had my fill. Are you good?"

Lan Fan nodded.

Ling slapped down a handful of cens onto the table and the pair stood. "Let's go then," Ling said. They left the restaurant and Lan Fan walked a half-step ahead of him, feeling Ling's hand on the middle of her back. They reached the street and could see the walls of central command rising above the height of buildings lining the street. With their destination visible, the speed of Ling's footsteps increased and Lan Fan matched his pace.

"Finally, we're here. You know, I kind of expected us to have some difficulty with the guards stationed in the city but we made it." Ling sounded pretty pleased with himself.

"Nothing like the last time, am I right?" Lan Fan asked dryly. She remembered how Ling had been imprisoned for a time since he was foreign, those months ago when he had first travelled to Amestris.

"Well, the reason we're doing so well today is because I paid off many of the guards to look the other way."

Lan Fan looked around with a start. Indeed, someone dressed in civilian clothing but standing too stiffly to be anyone other than a plainclothes soldier undercover saw her glance at him and quickly made a point of turning his back on the pair.

"That was Greed's idea, by the way," Ling told her with a mischievous smile on his face.

"So we can just walk straight in to central command?"

"Well, not quite," Ling amended, He stepped into an alley off the main street and was quickly swallowed by the semidarkness of the shadows cast by the surrounding buildings. He gestured for Lan Fan to join him. After making sure that no one was going to see her disappear, Lan Fan ducked out of sight and stepped into the alley

Ling stooped down into a crouch and rummaged through a bag at his feet. He pulled out a bundle of clothes and extended the pile to Lan Fan.

"Put this on."

Lan Fan just looked at the prince blankly.

"It's an Amestrian military uniform. If you're in disguise and you join a military training exercise, you might get a chance to access the vault and collect the artifact."

"We still don't know what it is that we're supposed to get, do we?" Lan Fan asked.

Ling shook his head, indicating that she was right. "Please? This will be a big help."

Lan Fan snatched the clothes from Ling. "Fine," she muttered. She turned her back on the prince and pulled her black hood over her head. The midafternoon air on her bare skin gave her a slight chill. Or maybe that was the prince's presence behind her.

"Turn away," she commanded . A clattering of cans and bottles told her that Ling had done as she had asked, upending a crate of recyclables in his nervousness. Lan Fan smiled to herself as she continued dressing. She quickly changed her pants, belted them, and buttoned the jacket. The sleeves hung down way below the tips of her fingers and the jacket was so oversized that she ought to have kept her black layered clothing on to fill the empty space. She sighed and tucked the bottoms of her billowy pants into her boots and turned around to face the prince and complain about the lack of fit.

When she turned around, she came up with a start because Ling's face and body was inches from her own.

"Oh," she said softly.

Ling abruptly pulled her into his arms, trapping her there. He burrowed his head into her neck and Lan Fan felt his hot breath. She closed her eyes and hugged him back, wondering what it was that he was after. In the meantime, she wanted to enjoy this closeness. His embrace was crushing and Lan Fan felt short of breath by the time he finally released her. But he didn't give her a chance to regain her composure before he roughly pushed her against the wall and kissed her full on the mouth.

Lan Fan felt herself blush with confusion and the unexpected turn things had taken. But she didn't protest as Ling's tongue invaded her mouth and his eager hands found their way through layers of clothing to explore the bare skin of her torso. One of Ling's hands made its way to muss up Lan Fan's hair and he pushed his hips so they slammed into hers. Lan Fan let out a soft moan and Ling kissed her more deeply. Her mouth moved with his and her hands twined around his back and she leaned back against him. Ling's hand moved down from sliding across the smooth skin of her stomach and dipped low to her waistband. And that was when everything stopped. Lan Fan froze. Her eyes flew open and Ling backed away from her quickly. He seemed to be struggling with himself.

"Damn it Greed," Ling mumbled. A shudder later, and Ling's eyes opened wide to reveal red irises. Greed sneered; he had completely taken over the young prince's body.

"Wow," Greed said, "that was awesome."

Lan Fan covered her mouth with her hands in horror. She had been played. Was it Greed that whole time? That would explain why he was so suddenly physical towards her. Greed did want everything, after all.

Lan Fan adjusted her oversized coat from where it had slid down her shoulders.

"I'm going to central command now," she announced, and then turned to leave the alley as though nothing had ever happened there. Greed tried to grab her hand but Lan Fan shook him off and continued on her way, trying to ignore the scratching in the back of her throat and the prickling in her eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

Greed caught up with Lan Fan a few moments later, just as she approached the main gate. He grabbed her hand, the one that was still flesh and blood, but Lan Fan jerked it out of his grasp.

"What?"

Lan Fan glared at him but Greed only winked at her deviously. He sauntered off and Lan Fan shook her head in disgust. The young lord had given her the task of retrieving the artifact from Central's vault, and she was going to do that. In the meantime, it seemed that Greed had taken over his body.

Lan Fan stepped back from the gate a couple of steps. Greed lounged against the metal bars of the gate, amused. His eyes flicked to the side and he observed a guard walking by. The guard caught his eye and immediately turned around. At least he had followed through on his promise to bribe the guards to make her job easier. She pushed all other thoughts out of her mind and went to take a running start at the gate. Greed's eyes widened and Lan Fan felt a surge of pride that she would be able to show off her skills to the homunculus, even though he would be seeing through Ling's eyes.

Lan Fan closed the distance between herself and the gate in two giant strides and jumped. She extended her automailed hand to grasp as high as she could on the bar and then used her momentum to help her feet scrabble up the vertical bars. Once she reached the top, she swung herself up and over to the top of the fence. Then she swung her legs over and slid down the other side. She faced Greed.

Greed's eyes widened in shock. The smug look had been wiped from his face, and Lan Fan felt a surge of pride. She reached over her back for her mask before realizing that she was in a different kind of uniform now that she was in Amestris. She sighed and felt a blush of shame creep to her cheeks. How could she forget that this wasn't a contest to impress the homunculus? She was here on Ling's orders, and that was all. Ling hadn't given her any instructions of what she should do if Greed had taken over his body, so as far as she was concerned, the expectation was that she continue on this quest. And she was not one to abandon her orders to the young lord.

* * *

Lan Fan didn't have to look behind her to be able to tell that Greed was following her—a little too closely for comfort. His heavy footsteps were a muffled echo in the corridor behind her and she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Now, as well as trying to keep her promise to Ling, she would have to make sure that the homunculus didn't run away with the prince's body. Lan Fan sighed at the fact that she was a part of this whole endeavour. This was just a stupid contest between two hot-headed guys. But as annoyed as she was, Lan Fan did allow herself a small smile. Maybe she was starting to enjoy this, at least a little.

Getting into central was fairly easy. In fact, the most difficult obstacle was the fence and even that had been a cinch. Though she felt fairly conspicuous with the oversized uniform and her obvious Xingese features of pale skin and black hairstyle, nobody gave her a second glance. She had to admit that it seemed Greed's intuition had done the trick. Maybe retrieving this artifact wouldn't be so difficult after all.

"Turn left," Greed mumbled into her ear.

Lan Fan sidled away for his closeness and tried the door he had indicated. It opened without difficulty, revealing a dark flight of stairs leading to a long, dimly lit hallway. Lan Fan could only assume that this was the vault Ling was seeking. She looked at Greed questioningly. As if sensing her hesitation, he nodded.

"Right then. Guess I'll go first. Keep close behind me."

Lan Fan obliged, closing the door behind her.

* * *

"Damn it Ling!" Edward Elric shouted to empty air. A few leaved rustled as a disgruntled bird took off, but other than that the forest was silent. He had finally found the thing that Ling sent him to get.


	8. Chapter 8

Lan Fan followed Greed into the basement of Central Command, treading lightly and sidestepping the water where it pooled after dripping from pipes in the ceiling. The dusty, half burned out bulbs of the track lighting barely cast shadows behind them. Lan Fan kept a couple of fingers on the side of the wall to help guide her way. It seemed that Ling, with the eyes of a Homunculus, didn't have any problem at all seeing the way in front of them.

Suddenly, Greed stopped short, throwing his arm out to the side. Lan Fan didn't notice and bumped into him. He quickly used this as an opportunity to draw her close to his side.

"Shh," he said.

Lan Fan tensed, feeling his arm tightening around her. Then, "get down!" Greed roughly shoved her aside as he charged forward against an invisible opponent. Lan Fan reached into the sleeves of her coat and pulled out the two throwing knives she kept there. She readied herself to jump into the fray when Greed jumped back from the newcomer. She glanced at him by her side and for the first time noticed that he was grinning.

Greed stood up straight from his crouch. "I'm surprised to see you two here." The people Greed had almost attacked stepped out of the shadows.

"Hi," Alphonse said. May Chang, his companion, waved. Shao May copied her gesture from his perch on her shoulder.

Lan Fan blinked. "What are you two doing here?" she asked. She still kept her hands closed loosely around her weapons on account of the bizarre situation.

"Oh, nothing," Alphonse said. He brought a hand to the back of his neck and laughed, blushing. "May and I were just, you know, hanging out."

"Hanging out?" Lan Fan repeated. She looked over to Greed, who smirked at Alphonse. Alphonse blushed even deeper and then looked at May. She smiled up at him.

Oh. So they had just been making out. Okay. Fair enough. But what were they doing here in the first place, before the distractions kicked in?

"Edward asked us to do a favour," May spoke up.

"What? We aren't supposed to tell them!" Alphonse said, sounding exasperated.

May shrugged at Alphonse. "They're going to find out anyways, so we might as well tell them." Then she looked to Greed and Lan Fan. "Just down the hallway to the right. You can't miss it!"

_What is she talking about?_

"Anyways, we're going now. Buh-bye!"

Alphonse grabbed her hand and the two of them quickly walked past Greed and Lan Fan. Greed started walking.

"Well come on then, let's find out what they were so quick to run away from."

"Right," Lan Fan hurried after him down the corridor.

* * *

It turned out that May had been telling the truth. They did indeed find what they were looking for, right where it was supposed to be.

"Oh Ed, you have got to be kidding me," Greed sighed.


	9. Chapter 9

Lan Fan stared out the train window in silence. Greed sat beside her, his arm draped casually over the back of her seat. Lan Fan tried not to think about it. She had helped the young lord obtain Ed's item, and now they were on their way back to Xing to meet with the alchemist.

"I have something to tell you."

Lan Fan turned to Greed with surprise. He stared at her, his expression uncharacteristically serious.

"You're familiar with the concept of Equivalent Exchange, am I right?"

Lan Fan nodded. "The alchemical principle? Of course. It's a give-and-take. Everything has value and must be traded for something with equal value."

"Exactly. Which is why we weren't the only ones going on a journey."

"What do you mean?" Lan Fan frowned, her eyes searching his face for clues as to what he was talking about.

"I sent Ed to retrieve something for me, deep within the forests of Xing."

Lan Fan exhaled. "Why?"

Greed shifted in his seat. "It might have been a bit of a bet between your emperor and Edward."

Lan Fan looked down into her lap, clenching her fists. She hung her head. "Wow you're unbelievable, you know that? So greedy, all you do it take."

"Hey, it was the idiot prince's idea in the first place, so don't blame me."

Lan Fan was silent. She turned away from the homunculus, remembering that she was angry at Ling as well. It had been an exhausting trip, having to deal with Greed's attitude the whole time. And just not she was learning that this was nothing more than a stupid game? That didn't sit well with her.

"Talk to me. I can't know what's bothering you if you don't say anything."

Lan Fan tried to silence her emotions but when she realized that Greed was being serious, she softened.

"Ling didn't think he could trust me by letting me know that this was all just a bet between him and Ed. When I was first called to meet him, I thought that he had a serious mission for the two of us. Now I find out that it was just a joke? How do you expect me to react?"

Greed didn't respond.

Lan Fan looked away. "Not to mention that all you've been doing this entire trip is making me feel uncomfortable," she added in an undertone.

Greed shrugged and looked away. Lan Fan sighed. She couldn't tell if anything she said ever actually got through to him.

"Forget it," she said, leaning her head back in her seat and closing her eyes. She listened to the clack of the train's wheels on the track for the duration of their journey back to the desert's edge.

A camel caravan met them at the station and Lan Fan rode away in silence. Greed followed her at a distance too far to allow for conversation, and for that she was grateful. Maybe Ling had thought that this whole endeavor was an exercise in equivalent exchange, but she felt left out, as though this trade-off had been happening without her consent all along.

* * *

A day later, they returned to Xing and the grand palace. Lan Fan led the way to the throne room of the Yao clan, where she knew Ed had been told to meet them. Just before opening the door, Greed caught her hand.

"Look I've been thinking about what you said and—"

"Just give the young lord his body back," Lan Fan shook her hand out of his grasp and attempted to open the door. Greed extended his arm to block her. Lan Fan's eyes blazed. She knew that she could take the homunculus in a fight even if it came to that, but she would prefer not to, due to how emotionally drained she had been feeling lately. She turned to face him.

"I'm done with you." She glared at him, her back pressed against the door.

Greed put his other hand on the door by her shoulder. He leaned closer and Lan Fan's heart raced. But the smile was gone from his face. His voice was serious and his expression unguarded—which was a rarity.

"Is that what you really want? Ling?"

Lan Fan nodded, holding her breath.

"Fine," Greed sighed. He leaned back away from her and his expression changed. He grunted and brought a hand to his face. Then he lowered it and took a deep breath.

Then he smiled widely, his eyes closing. He waved.

"Hi Lan Fan. Did you miss me?"

It was Ling.

Lan Fan smiled. She wanted to show him _just how much_ she had missed him but now wasn't the time; he had someone waiting for him. Even if this was a stupid game, it was important that Ling win it, for the sake of his honour. Lan Fan followed Ling inside the Yao clan's throne room.

"It's about time you returned home!" Ed called. He was sitting—no, more like lounging— on Ling's seat at the top of the steps. His expression was bored, but his eyes gleamed. He leaned forward. "So did you manage to get what I sent you for?"

"Yes, we did."

Ed leaned back, his eyes alive with excitement. "Well, let's see it then."

With a dramatic flourish, Ling reached into the bandages around his waist and pulled out a small scroll from his hip. He unrolled the scrap of paper and extended his arm to show Ed.

Lan Fan looked at the sheet again, sighing internally due to the fact that they had travelled all the way into Central Command to obtain such a stupid piece.

It was ultimately a drawing, and not a very good one at that. It appeared that someone (probably Winry) had given Ed a few crayons which he'd used to draw an approximate likeness of him and Ling. The only thing was, he presented Ling as a small, insignificant commoner with a big head surrounded by cats wheras he drew himself in an idealized, romantic way with long flowing hair and a cheeky grin. It was amusing, to say the least. Above Ed's head was the word WINNER exclaimed in fancy, flowing script. Ling's portrait had the word LOSER scrawled in unfortunate lettering. A single tear glistened on Ling's oversized face.

Ed leaned forward in his seat, laughing. "You have to admit that was pretty funny."

Lan Fan sighed, indifferent. A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. "I did enjoy your representation of the young lord," she said. Lan Fan realized that she might as well play along, since nothing would change the fact that the pair had spent days in Amestris trying to find this scrap of paper. Oh well, such was the duty of the protector to the young lord and future emperor—she had to get used to going along with his whims.

"Well as you can see, I am actually the winner here," Ling said, crossing his arms defiantly and smiling. There was something distinctly Greed-like to the upturn of his jaw and the challenge in his eyes. "I have managed to fulfil my end of the deal."

Ed held up his hand. "Not so fast. I got what you sent me to the forests of Xing too!"

Ling raised an eyebrow. "Did you, now?"

Ed nodded and stood up. There was something in his fist. He tensed his arm back and then threw what appeared to be a bag towards Ling. The young lord easily caught it, opened the bag, and looked at the contents.

"Well, what do you know. You managed to find them after all."

"It wasn't easy," Ed exclaimed. There was some pride in his voice though.

"So now what?" Lan Fan asked. She glanced over to what was in Ling's hands but the young lord casually brought his palms together and hid his trophy from her sight.

Ling smiled broadly. "Now we eat."

"We both won this challenge," Ed said, hopping off of the throne, descending the stairs and then following Ling out the room towards the kitchen. Lan Fan smiled to herself, finally relaxing. Maybe she had overreacted a little when she thought she was out of the loop. This was just a friendly competition after all.

It appeared that this adventure had both begun and ended with food. Neither of the boys had proven anything necessarily, but it had been fun while it lasted.

* * *

**author's note: the journey might be over but don't worry there is an epilogue I'm writing it now whooo thanks for following the story/leaving reviews you have all inspired me to keep going and just wow thank :')**


	10. Chapter 10

After the dinner (prepared for the trio by the bemused by always accommodating kitchen staff) Ed stood up from the table, admitting that this adventure had been fun and all, but he had to get back home to Winry. Alphonse had telephoned him as soon as he got back to Xing but Ed had waited for Ling and Lan Fan to return before agreeing to meet his younger brother and May Chang back in Resembool, their ultimate destination.

Ed turned to Ling. "Even though you had me trekking through the forests of Xing, I did enjoy our little challenge."

Ling grinned and stood. He walked from the head of the table to shake Ed's hand. "You did pose a good competition, I'll give you that. And who knows, there might be another challenge in the future."

Ed nodded. "You'll have to defend your honour as an emperor again, I'm afraid."

Lan Fan rolled her eyes. Seeing her, the two boys broke out into a loud laugh,

"But that won't be for quite some time, right?" Ed teased.

Ling's face turned serious. "Not for a long, long time," he agreed.

With another smile and a nod to Lan Fan, Ed headed out of the dining hall. Ling sat down at the head of the table again. Lan Fan glanced to his empty plate.

"Are you done my lord?" she asked.

Ling nodded. He stood and then unexpectedly offered her his hand. "I have something I want to show you."

Curious, Lan Fan accepted his hand as he led her out of the dining hall. Ling took her through a maze of the palace's hallways and up several flights of stairs. In her mental map of the palace, Lan Fan realized that they were way above the library where she and the young lord had been studying before meeting up with Edward Elric and wondered if he was taking her up to the roof again. But then Ling pulled up short at a window in the wall of the palace. There was no glass or shutters around the opening and so Lan Fan leaned out over the sill, looking down and around into a courtyard. Below them was a garden with small shoots of leaves sprouting. From across the courtyard she could see the window to her own room, in the servant's wing of the palace. She looked at Ling, confused.

He seemed a little nervous and kept looking down, fiddling with the hilt of the sword tucked into the bandages around his waist.

"Remember when Ed handed me that envelope from the forest of Xing?"

Lan Fan nodded. She was about to ask him what had been in it when she realized that he would probably tell her in a second or two.

"Seeds."

"Seeds?" Lan Fan repeated, not sure that she had heard correctly.

Ling nodded. He stepped over to her by the window and leaned in closely. Their shoulders touched as they overlooked the neat garden which Lan Fan remembered as being in a bad state of neglect for some time now. The area was completely transformed. The small buds of flowers which sprouted impossibly fast (probably thanks to a little alkahestry) reflected the pale light of the moon and dotted the ground.

"Seeds of the moondew flower. It's a herbal plant native to the wilds of Xing. I sent Edward to get me some seeds so that I could plant something for you to enjoy, as a way of thanking you for being by my side all this time."

Lan Fan looked up at his, speechless. Ling looked at her and their eyes met. As she leaned towards him, Ling blinked and she saw in his eyes a flicker of Greed.

"No not again," she groaned, leaning away from Ling.

"Hi girly. We meet again." Greed was in control now.

Lan Fan blushed, sure that his consciousness had been just below Ling's the whole time. He probably heard everything they had said and was now about to make a mockery of it.

"Such a thoughtful prince," Greed said, looking sidelong to Lan Fan.

Lan Fan stepped back, playing with the knives concealed in her black sleeves. The homunculus had her on alert, but she was determined not to let him ruin her moment with the Prince.

"Greed, you've been a part of this journey from the start. Now it's time to let go. Give the prince his body back. You're not welcome here."

Lan Fan glared at him, putting as much force into her eyes as she could. This was frustrating beyond belief. She thought that what she had said to him on the train maybe got through to him because he did end up relinquishing control over to Ling for some time while they ate dinner with Ed. But now she saw that this was all just a game to the Homunculus and he wouldn't ever be truly gone from their lives.

Greed looked over the garden and sighed. "Well it was nice of the kid to go to all this trouble. I let him do all the watering and planting obviously, I wasn't about to get dirt underneath my claws." Greed looked sidelong to Lan Fan but there wasn't any of his usual cockiness to his expression. In an undertone, he asked, "do you really care about him that much?"

Lan Fan turned her back to him. She wasn't going to entertain this homunculus any longer, especially after what had happened in Amestris, just outside central command. The hairs on her arm stood up as she recalled the incident.

Greed sighed. "I can see it in your eyes there's no point in denying it." He muttered something unintelligible under his breath and then fell silent.

Lan Fan remained silent. She felt a strong force of chi behind her and then was turned around roughly, gathered into his arms.

"Greed, stop." Lan Fan sighed, disgusted. She tried to wriggle out of his arms, but they tightened around her. She wasn't in the mood to kiss Greed again. Her cheeks flamed at the memory.

"Nope. The homunculus is gone for now. This time it's one hundred percent me," Ling's usual voice was back and his eyes were no longer red, though they did seem alight with something.

"Did you like the flowers?"

"Very much," Lan Fan whispered.

Ling pulled Lan Fan back to him and his guard relaxed, her heart pounding. The young lord had never been so forward with her but she knew that this was her Ling. Finally.

Ling brought his lips down onto hers and Lan Fan's eyes closed, but only for a moment. Then her eyes opened again and she reached to play with the hem of Ling's shirt. She pulled it up and with Ling's help, over his head. The shirt landed on the floor, revealing Ling's toned chest and bandaged arms. She watched his reaction as Ling paused, seeming to take it all in. Lan Fan's hands explored the planes of his chest as their kissing resumed, Lan Fan smiling against his lips.

When everything was said and done the pair had still accomplished their goal. Ling had gotten what he wanted, the garden twinkled beneath them, and Lan Fan was discovering that she could be greedy too.


End file.
